D&D General New Interview with Rob Heinsoo About 4E

[MichaelSomething]

Yes. The versions that are out there are still completely playable. I can still play any version of the game I want, and there are 4e games still.

And as I've said elsewhere, there are very well received modern games that are D&D adjacent that carry on the 4e design ethos.

Finally, I believe there is a happy middle ground that scratches both itches. I don't believe that it can't be done. For instance, there are plenty of times that I have rolled my eyes at the overly lawyer like way 5e is written, and I find it unnecessary. There's a place for bullet point "here are the facts" alongside my flowerly language.

Do you know of any 4E games open to new players? I believe @overgeeked is having a Tartaris of a time finding one.

 

[overgeeked]

Do you know of any 4E games open to new players? I believe @overgeeked is having a Tartaris of a time finding one.

Thanks, but I'm good.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

No. I have not tried to DM 4e for complete strangers on the thin hope that if I do so I will eventually have a group that will instead run 4e for me.

Oh, that makes more sense.

I am in a 5e game, offered very kindly by Hussar of these very forums.

Nice of him.

I have exactly two friends who DM. Neither of them has any interest in running 4e (one doesn't even like D&D in general, regardless of edition or flavor.) Other than those two, no one has the slightest inclination to run any tabletop game at all, and if they did, they would 99.99% run 5e.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to run 4e either at this point, and I liked it a lot! There are - some - things that I like about it better than other editions. It's got its flaws, but much of them are not quite the ones that are often cited, IMO.

If it were not verboten to do so, I would envy your situation. I've never had anything even remotely like "four friends who all enjoy DMing and all like similar game systems." DMs are an incredibly rare and precious commodity, and if you find a good one, you sure as hell don't let them go if you can avoid it.

My only complaint is that two of them aren't very good (sshsshhh, don't let them hear me say that) But they mean well, so I'm happy to play.

 

[overgeeked]

Yeah, I wouldn't want to run 4e either at this point, and I liked it a lot! There are - some - things that I like about it better than other editions. It's got its flaws, but much of them are not quite the ones that are often cited, IMO.

Same. Likewise with playing. I'd rather add the few bits I'd want to other games and tweak what's there. Way easier.

 

[TiQuinn]

Do you know of any 4E games open to new players? I believe @overgeeked is having a Tartaris of a time finding one.

Haven’t tried looking but if I can find players for my 2e game, I’d guess you can find players for a 4e game!

 

[Aldarc]

Nice. I keep hearing about Sunless but have never read, played, or run it. How railroady is it?

In some ways, it's pretty railroady, but that's also why I use it just for a starter adventure. There are still some choices along the way, such as Meepo or whether you align with the goblins, kobolds, or neither, but I use it as a newbie adventure.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Thanks, but I'm good.

Must have gotten you confused with someone else. Some poster in some other thread was talking about how they can't find a 4E game..

 

[overgeeked]

Haven’t tried looking but if I can find players for my 2e game, I’d guess you can find players for a 4e game!

Thanks. I'm sure I could if I were looking.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think the biggest mistake 4e made when it came to Skill Challenges is somehow making so many people think that they would be run any differently than they are in any other edition. @Undrave illustrates how they should work:
DM "What does your character DO?" (Expectation that they will try to achieve the current goal, but they might not)
Player "My character does X" (Plan that will help with goal, or not)
DM "Roll..." (Relevant Check if required for above.)

You know... like D&D. The only differences are: 1) The players may be aware of what check they intend. 2) The players may be aware that they are in a "Skill Challenge" the same way that they are aware when they are in a "Combat".

If the player doesn't want their character to be involved, they don't have to be (or they be doing something else) but they'd have to deal with the consequences IF (and only if) the Skill Challenge is something where their assistance would be missed.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

Has anyone ever ran or been in a skill challenge in 5E? I haven't done it myself, but when I played in a Dragonlance campaign the DM ran a skill challenge to infiltrate a fort seized by the Red Dragon Army. I've also seen a number of 3rd party products that used skill challenges.